Message Board - Cricket: Old Trafford debacle
2 Sep 2009 by petermarkcraig Last edited 2 Sep 2009
I went to Old Trafford on Sunday for the T20 game and was "lucky" enough to see 22.1 overs of cricket played before the rain set in.
It was the same pitch for last nights game and therefore the same run up area, and yet last night, despite covers, the "muddy" area at the Brian Statham end was too wet for play.
I listened to the lengthy debates on Sky about whether the game should have gone ahead and agree with David Lloyd that a test ground should be capable of preventing a 2 metre square area of turf from preventing an international cricket match from going ahead.
This is a serious blow to OT's ambitions of becoming a test venue again in the future.
Does anyone have any thoughts on last night's debacle?
Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.
2 Sep 2009 by tonybolton
Peter, the ground improvements are incomplete, the area you refer to has not had the new drainage installed as the orientation of the square is to be changed this close season. Many feel the game should have gone ahead, not least the Lancs CEO. I'm not a lover of the T20 format but from what I've seen it's played in some pretty poor conditions. I live twenty or so miles from OT and a heron was perched on my outfield at 5pm yesterday, looking for a meal in a newly discovered lake, it was very wet to say the least.
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother
2 Sep 2009 by petermarkcraig
I knew there would be extenuating circumstances not mentioned on the telly last night. Having said that I would have thought if it was known to be a vulnerable area, extra measures could have been taken to protect it.
I think Jim Cumbes had a point but he did not explain away the reasons for the wet and grassless area very well at all.
Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.
2 Sep 2009 by Zippy
Tony,
Thanks for that insight, I was thinking last night that surely someone would have had the insight to put a drain along the line of the bowlers run ups on the international strip, but you have answered that question.
2 Sep 2009 by Leeboy
Just a bunch of softies who cant play after a bit of rain, unlike the big tough footballers who play in any weather and enjoy rolling/diving around on wet grass regardless of the conditions.
2 Sep 2009 by wicketdevil
Leeboy dont make me laugh biggest girls blouses out there footballers.
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
2 Sep 2009 by wicketdevil
Leeboy dont make me laugh biggest girls blouses out there footballers.
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
2 Sep 2009 by wicketdevil
Leeboy dont make me laugh biggest girls blouses out there footballers.
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
2 Sep 2009 by barry glynn
Regardless of the drainage situation, why not make the hover covers longer?
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
2 Sep 2009 by Leeboy
We had a game 3 miles away from OT last night, and they were only too happy to play in the cold damp conditions, bit of wetness didnt bring any excuses from them not to play-softies sport ahich can only be played if it is hot and dry, anything else and they cry and moan more than a footballer hurt diving.
2 Sep 2009 by barry glynn
Not a lover of cricket are you Leeboy
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
2 Sep 2009 by tonybolton
Ha Ha Lee the points you make about those big tough football players diving about is very apt, wont be long before they're of to the joke shop for a bit of Dracula blood. When do your star studded multi million lot visit the Turf to go the way of Everton and Utd.
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother
2 Sep 2009 by jlawrence
Barry, I'd imagine that even at test grounds they find storage of the hover cover a challenge don't know where on earth they'd put one if it were even longer.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
2 Sep 2009 by vid
I believe our precious ickle footballers need their pitches softened so they dont hurt their ickle selves when they dive..... oops I mean fall over.
2 Sep 2009 by Leeboy
But can still play when cloud, sorry bad light, stops play!
2 Sep 2009 by wicketdevil
Id like to see these so called tough soccer players last 5 secs in the front row of a scrum. Then they may be rolling in agony.
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
2 Sep 2009 by mario
Someone once told me that rugby was for fat kids who couldn't play football.
Couldn't possibly comment myself, you understand!
I know no boundaries.
2 Sep 2009 by barry glynn
Jon
i know storage is a problem but surely another 4 metres in total would be ok?
Anyway, I reckon the rpoblem was caused by a leak where thee flat cover for the run ups was attached to the hover, cant be a drainnage issue just in that small area.
Has Edgebaston still got that cover that went right across the ground?
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
2 Sep 2009 by dave r-b
i have a feeling Edgebaston (i stand to be corrected) got rid of the Brumbrella as it was causing problems with the grass.
im now an ex groundsman but hey old habits die hard
2 Sep 2009 by Philmort
Leeboy, if footballers played with a small missile that was solid and came at them at over 100mph they'd also want to be able to see it!
Seriously, it seems that something went amiss with the covering at Old Trafford, which seems inexcusable from afar but in exceptionally bad weather we have to admit defeat occasionally, it even happens in other countries, sometimes!
Proud to serve grassroots cricket
3 Sep 2009 by Leeboy
And its quite clear that cricketers cant play with a pigs bladder as they keep falling over them and injuring themselves!
3 Sep 2009 by barry glynn
At my old club, we used to have a social game cricket v footballers at crciket and then at football in the appropriate seasons.
It was hilarious watching the footballers running away from medium paced trundlers or even slow bowlers. Then watching them jump out thhe way when someone smashed a cover drive at them.
Of course in the winter, the cricketers performed very well at football as it is a very simple game if you have played a bit and are reasonably fit, not much thinking required and the ball is soft as Sh*t compared to a cricket ball.
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
3 Sep 2009 by Leeboy
Which makes it more laughable when the cricketers get serious injuries from falling over something they clearly cant use in this case!
3 Sep 2009 by barry glynn
Like footballers would do well in a cricket net?
Any form of contact sport before a cricket match is idiotic. Ive never said that people running cricket are intelligent though but at least they can string a sentence together as opposed to the average footballer or manager.
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
3 Sep 2009 by Leeboy
In fairness I cant argue with the latter!
3 Sep 2009 by Chris Thornton
Back to the thread lads if you please!!!
The attached pic (if I've done it right) is my place of work tonight 1945 hrs 03 09 09! The Ist team game for Sat has already been called off (50 plus guests of the sponsers not now attending and spending!)
Sunday we had the local evening league booked in for three 20 over finals, called off! ( at least 66 cricketers and friends not now attending and spending!)
I and the secretary are going to spend some time tomorrow and Saturday trying to get rid of it, (sludge pump) or at least a lot of it, in the vain hope that, given a dry ish week,we might be playing cricket the following weekend!!
Drainage PAH!!!
I hate Sky! £50 a month to listen to has-beens talking about stuff they have no knowledge of.
Fed up, Chris
"He not busy being born is busy dying"
3 Sep 2009 by barry glynn
Bl**dy hell Chris
We ve had it easy down here in the south!
So sorry mate.
Cant re-arrange these fund getting days can you?
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
3 Sep 2009 by Chris Thornton
Well Barry,
the Midweek do has a "fallback" of one week so lets hope it goes ahead as the revenue from that could, in effect, pay for me materials for renovations if, that is , we get some dry weather!!
On the bright side (I forot to mention) There is a full moon tonight which means we are due some better weather for the new moon, just when we will be renovating (Trust me I am a Druid!)
Not really, its the Stella!! LOL
Chris
"He not busy being born is busy dying"
3 Sep 2009 by tonybolton
Chris where is that, looks similar to CLL Unsworth
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother
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